Filming on the Thracian Plain Like There's No Tomorrow

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When filming in Europe, if the light's good, we're rolling. The weather report is horrible for the next couple of days in Bulgaria, so we're shooting like there's no tomorrow -- covering as much of our script as we can before the sun sets. And here, just 15 minutes before the sun dipped behind the Balkan Mountains, we nailed one of my favorite "on cameras" of the year. We are so excited about our new episode on Bulgaria -- airing with our new season of 10 episodes on public television this fall. (And you can bet a close-up of these poppies will make the final cut.) Sharing this clip, I'm a mix of exhausted, exhilarated, and thankful: thankful to be collaborating with such a great crew (Simon Griffith, Karel Bauer, and our Slavic Europe expert, Cameron Hewitt); thankful to be able to share all we're experiencing with our public television viewers; and thankful for work that we hope helps America feel less threatened and more open to people from far away who embrace life a little differently than we do. My cultural flavor of the day? Bulgaria!

This is Day 50 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I'm reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.